It was on New Year’s Eve, roughly 2 p.m., when Aaron Pico turned the wrestling and MMA worlds upside down. Pico sat at the kitchen table in his home in Whittier, his parents beside him, and signed a management contract with the MMA agency Zinkin Entertainment, ending the St. John Bosco sophomore’s high school and collegiate wrestling eligibility. The 17-year old was officially a professional athlete.

The news rippled through the wrestling and MMA communities, with blog posts and forums popping up all over the web dissecting the decision and predicting the teen’s future. While there have been high school phenoms before Pico who have made the leap to the professional ranks, from swimmer Michael Phelps (signed at the age of 16) to golf’s Michelle Wie (15), Pico’s leap is unprecedented in his sport and one that might serve as a blueprint for future American wrestling stars.

Pico’s contract is for five years with Zinkin, an agency that also represents Chuck Liddell and Cain Velasquez, among others. Once Pico signed, the MMA apparel line Dethrone, created by Nick Swinmurn, one of the founders of the retail giant Zappos, won a three-way bidding war to be Pico’s official sponsor. Anthony Pico, Pico’s father, declined to go into any specifics on value of the contract.

“I’m comfortable in saying he will be OK,” said Anthony. “He will see it down the road.”

The origins of the decision began during Pico’s freshman season at Bosco, when Pico and his family were flirting with the idea of relocating to Colorado so Pico could train at the U.S Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. They visited before the 2013 state championships, when Pico went on to take the title in the 132-pound weight class and finish the season 42-0. Ultimately, the family felt what he had in California could not be matched in Colorado and that it wasn’t worth it to separate Pico from his close-knit family.

Yet, it was around this time Pico and his family were getting approached by parties in the MMA world, gauging his interest in doing the sport. Getting these inquiries from the the professional ranks concerned Anthony, and he wanted to be able to preserve his son’s eligibility for the NCAA. That is when Anthony approached the Zinkins, strictly for legal advice on the matter. But from there the talks expanded into possible representation, with the options presented to Pico for consideration.

Zinkin Entertainment declined to be interviewed for this story.

Pico’s move also highlights the glaring differences between the international and American wrestling scenes. Pico said in interviews with the media, and reinforced by Anthony, that his decision was simply rooted in his desire to focus on freestyle wrestling, not money. Freestyle is practiced virtually everywhere overseas and in the Olympics, as opposed to folkstyle wrestling, which is used in U.S. high school and collegiate wrestling.

“I wish the U.S. would convert (school programs) to freestyle, and I think if they did, we’d do better as a country on the international level than what we’ve done before,” Pico told Dave Meltzer of MMAFighting.com, who first reported Pico turning pro.

Advertisement

Anthony wanted his son to take the traditional route of American wrestlers and compete collegiately. But due to Pico’s exposure to international wrestling communities, he was able to see that freestyle was the way to go and that splitting time with folkstyle didn’t make sense.

Pico and his father also talked to former college wrestlers, learning of the immense wear and tear the NCAA season can have on one’s body and that because of the commitment, it restricted their choice of majors. So after weighing the pros and cons, discussing goals for the next decade and receiving blessings from his family, Pico decided to take the leap, freeing him to focus strictly on freestyle wrestling to make a run at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics, with MMA aspirations after that, which is becoming a popular destination for wrestlers.

“I think this sport has become such a huge global phenomenon, there’s money in it,” said Dana White, president of UFC, on young athletes taking up MMA. “It’s a chance for guys who used to wrestle or box or kickbox or Muay Thai or jiu-jitsu, to become professional athletes and make a living doing what they love to do.”

While White admitted he had not heard of Pico, the possibility of a talented fighter and athlete such as Pico entering MMA after focusing on his Olympic runs is good news to the founder of UFC.

“Awesome,” said White with a huge smile. “I look forward to seeing him.”

A common misconception after the signing was that Pico would be leaving Bosco. But he will still be enrolled at the school, doing online classes when his traveling schedule calls for it. He also plans on attending college, with the Zinkin contract holding aside money for that purpose.

“He wants to stay tethered to the community,” said Bosco principal Casey Yeazel. “Aaron is a unique young man. He’s good for our community.”

But there was one thing that could have delayed Pico’s jump to the pro ranks.

“The only thing that would have kept Aaron in folkstyle is if USC or UCLA started a wrestling program,” said Anthony. “Aaron said he would be the first in line to sign up.”

Before signing the contract, Pico already had the wrestling community’s attention. Now it will only be compounded as the phenom enters unknown territory in the sport, possibly changing the landscape.

“Bottom line is that it is good for wrestling … it is an unprecedented move and it’s good for the country,” said Anthony. “And if this can pave the way for future athletes it’s great, and Aaron has taken the first step.”